S04.E06: Blow-Up

[shapeshifter]

Just to not leave out any theory:

Maybe one or more of the Westies are involved in forgery, including Social Security checks. 

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Every so often you hear of one of these cases where someone is collecting Social Security after the recipient dies.  For that to happen, there would have to be no outward notice if a death.  No body, no funeral home, etc.  It has to be a case where the dead person is hidden by the wrongdoer.  If a person dies otherwise when known to doctors, funeral homes, etc., Social Security is notified immediately by these individuals and they stop sending money.

Right, but there would be no notice of death in the U.S. if he had two identities, one overseas and one in the U.S. and he died overseas under the other identity, whether naturally or murdered. Dudenoff sounds like such a fake name anyway so maybe that's the fake name and his real one is overseas. Why would he do this? It's part of my theory below.

I keep going back to how the Brothers Sisters said that they would do anything for their beloved mentor. I kinda believe that. So I'm working on this theory that in 2011 when we saw him giving his cameras over to the BS and talking about his tired old body not having much use for them anymore he may have known he was dying and hated the thought that the people renting his apartments dirt cheap (the Westies) were going to lose them so he devised this scheme to make it look like he was still alive after he did in fact pass on. An alternate identity overseas may have been part of that scheme. If he was willing to engage in rent control fraud to help people he might also have been willing to help them keep their apartments after he died. Anyway the BS might figure into this by trying to throw people off the scent of figuring out the scheme as a way of honoring their dead mentor's last wishes.

Either that or there's some brilliant kingpin/mastermind behind this whole thing that murdered Dudenoff to control the rent control fraud scheme and the BS are just there to record everything as part of their weird art. They may know who it is but for their own reasons won't reveal it to anyone - perhaps out of fear for their own lives. At this point there is a rather lengthy list of people that person could be.

I hate to say it but it's still nagging me how Howard just happens to be in the right place at the right time with the cadaver dog. He could be working for that kingpin. I don't know if I'd believe that HE was that person, though.

I also think the BS could still be murderers and they're throwing people off to save their own necks. There's a way to work them into being the masterminds. Maybe they are working for the kingpin in the building.

[cardigirl]

16 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I hate to say it but it's still nagging me how Howard just happens to be in the right place at the right time with the cadaver dog. He could be working for that kingpin. I don't know if I'd believe that HE was that person, though.

I thought Howard showed up at the end of episode one with Gravey because Mabel had figured out that he was barking in Charles' apartment due to a dead body having been there. When the trio returned from California, I got the impression they had asked Howard to come over and help them by bringing Gravey,

As for when we first met Gravey, Howard had the story of trying to adopt another cat, but the shelter wouldn't let him. (Which refers to a line in a previous season where he said the new cat was names "Sevelyn" for seventh cat. Maybe cats don't last long with Howard (🧐) and the shelter is suspicious of that.)

Like you, I don't see him as the "kingpin" either, or even wittingly working for the kingpin. But I didn't find him showing up at Charles' apartment with Gravey when they returned from Hollywood, as suspicious, because I thought they had called him. 

(The kingpin is Uma! 😆)

 

 

Edited October 4 by cardigirl

[Affogato]

29 minutes ago, cardigirl said:

I thought Howard showed up at the end of episode one with Gravey because Mabel had figured out that he was barking in Charles' apartment due to a dead body having been there. When the trio returned from California, I got the impression they had asked Howard to come over and help them by bringing Gravey,

As for when we first met Gravey, Howard had the story of trying to adopt another cat, but the shelter wouldn't let him. (Which refers to a line in a previous season where he said the new cat was names "Sevelyn" for seventh cat. Maybe cats don't last long with Howard (🧐) and the shelter is suspicious of that.)

Like you, I don't see him as the "kingpin" either, or even wittingly working for the kingpin. But I didn't find him showing up at Charles' apartment with Gravey when they returned from Hollywood, as suspicious, because I thought they had called him. 

(The kingpin is Uma! 😆)

 

 

I think Howard is nosey, basically. I wonder how Hammy is doing. 

[Affogato]

I feel if it was Howard there would be some other clues, but I could ve convinced that he knew/knows something he is not telling. 

[Ohiopirate02]

5 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Every so often you hear of one of these cases where someone is collecting Social Security after the recipient dies.  For that to happen, there would have to be no outward notice of a death.  No body, no funeral home, etc.  It has to be a case where the dead person is hidden by the wrongdoer.  If a person dies otherwise when known to doctors, funeral homes, etc., Social Security is notified immediately by these individuals and they stop sending money.

I can see a scenario where the Westies were playing one of their games of Oh Hell with Dudenoff, Dudenoff dies of natural causes, and the Westies panic. A dead Dudenoff means they all lose their rent controlled apartments. They then make a pact to keep Dudenoff "alive" by cremating him in the incinerator, concoct the Portugal story, and continue to cash his SS checks. The Westies are the ones sending the Portuguese ham to themselves in order to keep up their fraud just in case the building's management becomes suspicious. I can also see Helga falling out with the group over this. 

 

[peeayebee]

2 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Dudenoff sounds like such a fake name anyway

Don't a lot of the names on this show sound fake? 

2 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I hate to say it but it's still nagging me how Howard just happens to be in the right place at the right time with the cadaver dog.

I just see Gravey as a plot device. A cute plot device. Howard just happens to adopt a retired cadaver dog. Coincidence? Yes. If there wasn't a cadaver dog, how would our trio have found the body? And then in this last ep Howard comes over with Gravey so she can knock over the box of cremains so the trio can discover the extra left metal shoulder. I could be wrong, but I don't see this as anything but a writer's creation to move the plot along.

[meep.meep]

On 10/2/2024 at 4:03 PM, AnimeMania said:

I notice that when Hulu lists the new episodes after an episode airs, they usually list them one episode at a time or one month's worth of episodes at a time. I am pretty sure the show has 10 episodes and they don't want to give away any spoilers to their most popular series.

Like:

  Reveal spoiler

The house in the picture for episode 7, I believe it belongs to Charles' sister.

IMDB shows 10 episodes with the last two untitled.

[Yeah No]

10 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I can see a scenario where the Westies were playing one of their games of Oh Hell with Dudenoff, Dudenoff dies of natural causes, and the Westies panic. A dead Dudenoff means they all lose their rent controlled apartments. They then make a pact to keep Dudenoff "alive" by cremating him in the incinerator, concoct the Portugal story, and continue to cash his SS checks. The Westies are the ones sending the Portuguese ham to themselves in order to keep up their fraud just in case the building's management becomes suspicious. I can also see Helga falling out with the group over this. 

II posted above that Dudenoff was the person that concocted the scheme to keep him "alive" after death but it could just as easily have been the Westies or their "kingpin", whoever that is, who concocted it after he died of natural causes (or was murdered).

9 hours ago, peeayebee said:

Don't a lot of the names on this show sound fake? 

Yes but I looked most of the fakest sounding ones up and they all existed. I looked up "Dudenoff" and it doesn't exist. There's a German name spelled "Dudenhoff" but not with the same spelling as on the show. And it also appears to apply to the name of a farm. I suppose it's a nitpick.

9 hours ago, peeayebee said:

I just see Gravey as a plot device. A cute plot device. Howard just happens to adopt a retired cadaver dog. Coincidence? Yes. If there wasn't a cadaver dog, how would our trio have found the body? And then in this last ep Howard comes over with Gravey so she can knock over the box of cremains so the trio can discover the extra left metal shoulder. I could be wrong, but I don't see this as anything but a writer's creation to move the plot along.

If so it feels like very, very convenient writing. Or a very big red herring. But I never know with this show. Something this glaringly obvious might actually be for real this time.

[Lugal]

On 10/1/2024 at 4:04 PM, Snazzy Daisy said:

Am not doing the handwriting analysis. But the use of black sharpie on white paper on both warnings is sus. Coincidence? 🤔

It's a font.  Actually 2 different comic-style fonts. The I's in the phone message are identical.

[Quilt Fairy]

Only Murders has the best names

[SoMuchTV]

2 hours ago, Lugal said:

It's a font.  Actually 2 different comic-style fonts. The I's in the phone message are identical.

Huh.  But the G's aren't.  I have no idea if that adds anything to the conversation, though.  And there are so many smiley emojis I'm not even sure what's appropriate here :-)

 

[tljgator]

Late to the party this week & y'all have covered everything, per usual...except the absolutely perfect Oliver moment during the Moonstruck scene:

"Cher Bono"

 

 

[shapeshifter]

Finally rewatched this. It's only 34 minutes. 

• Opening scene and closing scene: One of the BSs is wearing a prison jumpsuit.
  Supposed to be a costume, but interesting choice…true confession? 
  Their whole weird life story ending in one or both committing murder for art's sake wouldn't be out of character,
  but probably just a orange red herring?
   
• Hams: Are all the Hams in-part clues that the killer is a "ham," that is, an actor?
   
• Every time I hear Vince Fish I think of Abe Vigoda's character of Phil Fish in Barney Miller. Probably not significant, but premature reports of Vigoda's death were sort of a running joke:
  wikipedia.org/wiki/Abe_Vigoda#Mistaken_reports_of_death

Edited October 7 by shapeshifter
38 minutes? 34 minutes?

[Lugal]

On 10/5/2024 at 2:07 PM, SoMuchTV said:

Huh.  But the G's aren't.  I have no idea if that adds anything to the conversation, though.  And there are so many smiley emojis I'm not even sure what's appropriate here :-)

But, there's only on G in the message.  The I is the only letter that repeats.  Each message says the same thing but in a slightly different comic-style font.

[SoMuchTV]

1 hour ago, Lugal said:

But, there's only on G in the message.  The I is the only letter that repeats.  Each message says the same thing but in a slightly different comic-style font.

Ah - gotcha.

[Yeah No]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

• Opening scene and closing scene: One of the BSs is wearing a prison jumpsuit.
  Supposed to be a costume, but interesting choice…true confession? 
  Their whole weird life story ending in one or both committing murder for art's sake wouldn't be out of character,
  but probably just a orange red herring?

Yeah I noticed that but as I have said many times, my theory is that they're trying to make themselves look guilty to throw our trio and the police off as to what really happened, such as whether there was a murder, who was actually murdered and who committed a murder. In other words they made themselves into their own red herring!

I think that's why we've noticed what we think are many red herrings this season. They are probably responsible for at least some if not all of them.

I think part of their weird allegiance to Dudenoff involved making sure no one knew about certain things so that his wishes would be protected. Either that or they're faking that allegiance to him and are covering for whoever is using Dudenoff as their cover for a rent control fraud scheme.

[cardigirl]

On 10/1/2024 at 7:04 PM, Snazzy Daisy said:

 

The I letters do not match in each message. In the note to Jan, the I letters are straight lines, in the message on Charles's phone they have a cross (serif) on them. To me, only the words are the same, it doesn't look like the same handwriting.  (The A characters are different too.)

[peeayebee]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

 

• Opening scene and closing scene: One of the BSs is wearing a prison jumpsuit.
  Supposed to be a costume, but interesting choice…true confession? 
  Their whole weird life story ending in one or both committing murder for art's sake wouldn't be out of character,
  but probably just a orange red herring?

She says that she got the jumpsuit at a Rikers auction. "Something about being swaddled in the dried sweat of the imprisoned sets me free." The BSs are weird. Obviously when we see her in the prison jumpsuit at the beginning of the ep, we're supposed to think she's in prison. But it's just a "Psych!" moment.

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, peeayebee said:

She says that she got the jumpsuit at a Rikers auction. "Something about being swaddled in the dried sweat of the imprisoned sets me free." The BSs are weird. Obviously when we see her in the prison jumpsuit at the beginning of the ep, we're supposed to think she's in prison. But it's just a "Psych!" moment.

I think there's a good chance that the BS's are eccentric, obsessed true crime enthusiasts that like to get up close and personal with the dark side for thrills. They want to know all about it, be there when it's committed, and rub their faces in it figuratively. People that get into that can do it from many different angles. I once knew a true crime buff that would listen to the police radio then show up at crime scenes just to gawk and take pictures. They may be a more elaborate, techno-savvy, artsy-fartsy version of that with the added angle of mixing reality with fiction just to manipulate people and to get off on the power of being in control of them.

Edited October 7 by Yeah No

[JenE4]

Dudenoff got his shoulder replacement in 2011, when he gave the Brothers Sisters the super-8s, commenting he could no longer hold the cameras up. Oddly, Oliver/Mabel had a callback to about 15 years ago when you no longer needed to worry about rollover minutes or calling after a certain time for free minutes. Pink eye guy was also in class back then, Christmas Guy sometime after that, but both apparently had an interest in film (Christmas Tree Guy was specifically mentioned as being good with a camera), so either of them may have also had the “older” hidden cameras that were found. I think the chiropractor in the stuntman bar will be another key player (and/or red herring) since she gives physical therapy, and at now have 2 characters in the film industry with shoulder replacements, and another with a metal plate (which wouldn’t need PT for that, but Glenn had lots of other injuries). Anyhoo, these older-looking implants and the older cameras and these callbacks to about 15 years ago, plus Oliver/Charles kind of being out of the business themselves for a lot of years (minus Death Rattle Razzle), plus locking in the rent many years ago…I think this is all going to be based on an old vendetta from back then. It’s been 3 years since the Brothers Sisters actually spoke to Dudenoff, so I like the theory that the Westies disposed of Dudenoff’s body 3 years ago to keep their low rent, but I don’t think that had anything to do with Sazz’s murder. Why bring attention toward the West Tower and their scam? Sazz doesn’t seem like she would care to expose them—unless she was also a student of Dudenoff and would do anything for him? But that doesn’t ring true to me. I’m thinking it’s unrelated. But knowing how the Brothers Sisters are with filming, I think it’s likely they caught whatever it is on film, and Sazz knew it, and/or that’s how the true killer will ultimately be exposed by what they find on all of their cameras.

Edited October 8 by JenE4

[Zaffy]

Are we sure Sazz is dead?
I hope she is cause I cannot stand of her, but we never had a body so... 

[Yeah No]

17 hours ago, Zaffy said:

Are we sure Sazz is dead?
I hope she is cause I cannot stand of her, but we never had a body so... 

Well I'm not sure she's dead and never have been. And I've been holding out hope that she's not the murder in the building.